Prescribed Burns are back

Prescribed Under Burn

On Tuesday, May 10th the City of Ashland, the US Forest Service and Lomaktsi Restoration Project will conduct a controlled burn just below the White Rabbit Trailhead on City forestland. The 25 acre burn is for forest health and community wildfire protection. Smoke clearance was granted by the State of Oregon and smoke is predicted to move away from town during the day. Some lingering smoke may drift into town, especially toward the evening hours. Smoke sensitive residents along Ashland Creek are urged to close their windows during evening hours on Tuesday night.

The White Rabbit trailhead will be closed for the day due to burn traffic and hoses laid across trails. This includes the Alice in Wonderland trail, BTO, Red Queen, and Jabberwocky trails. Burning will likely continue this week so check back for updates on closed roads and trails.

New Closure – West Side of Watershed Closure Started May 9th

As of May 9th, some trails and roads in the Ashland Watershed are closed to the public.

The closure, which will expire July 1, 2016, is being implemented to ensure public safety during helicopter thinning and log hauling operations that are a part of ongoing work in the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project. The latest round of forest thinning to promote wildfire resiliency and forest health has been ongoing in the watershed since December 2015, when helicopters began flying in the eastern portion of the watershed before Christmas. That work was recently completed, allowing the east-side closure to be lifted and for recreationists to return to areas that had been off-limits for more than 4 months. Helicopters will now begin flying in the west side of the watershed in the Horn Gap area in mid-May, with work completed by July. Log trucks will be hauling slowly down the 2060 Road and Granite Street, and through downtown Ashland. Temporary closures apply to the following trails and road systems:

Road 2060, from Granite Street to the intersection with the Potlicker Trail.

Hitt Road, from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest boundary.

The 2060-200, 2060-300, and 2060-400 roads.

All closure areas will be clearly marked with signs and maps. People are encouraged to remain aware of the continued project activity in the area, and to drive cautiously where log trucks are present. Updates on the work in the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project can be found online at www.ashlandwatershed.org and on Facebook at facebook.com/AFR.Project.

Westside of Watershed Now Open

The weather held and we were able to get the last log truck load down Tolman Creek Road last week. Thank you to all the residents along the road who have put up with the traffic and road noise for the last few months! We really appreciate it. This also means Tolman Creek Road will be safely accessible to bikers, drivers, and walkers 7 days a week. Enjoy your watershed.